Foundations, Associations & Organizations
As a mission-driven practice, we amplify the stories and values of foundations, associations, and organizations to create positive impact. From partnering with grassroots community changemakers to leading philanthropic foundations, we design places to support meaningful social change.
“
Organizations can merge their financial health with workplace and community by leveraging their real estate assets for alternative uses like continuing education, affordable housing, and beyond.
—Sean Wayne, Foundations, Associations & Organizations leader
27 Items
Friendship Foundation Campus
Redondo Beach, California
Gensler’s Andy Cohen describes how the Friendship Foundation will transform the lives of people with special needs, their families, volunteers, and society.
Rose Haven Community Day Shelter
Portland, Oregon
Gensler donated its services to design Rose Haven’s new 10,500-square-foot space, a facility three times the size of its previous footprint, that comprises its day shelter and community center.
UKANDU
Portland, Oregon
Gensler helped the nonprofit UKANDU align stakeholders on their vision and mission for the new resource center and assessed the viability of building options.
First Love Foundation
London, United Kingdom
Gensler designed a safe space for First Love Foundation, a support, advice, and advocacy charity, to continue its mission of tackling poverty in Tower Hamlets.
The Center for Pursuit
Houston, Texas
The Center for Pursuit worked with Gensler to design its Houston campus that supports the nonprofit’s mission to create a welcoming environment for its clients.
Sustainable Shade Structures
Tirrases, Curridabat, San José Province, Costa Rica
This research initiative focuses on the relationship between extreme heat and vulnerable communities and creating actionable steps to offset climate injustice.
The People’s House: A White House Experience
Washington, D.C.
The People’s House is a first-of-its-kind educational museum experience from the White House Historical Association about the history of the Executive Mansion.
SAFEchild
Raleigh, North Carolina
SAFEchild’s new home enables the non-profit to expand their services to the community while also providing an inspiring workplace for staff and volunteers.
American Physical Therapy Association Headquarters
Alexandria, Virginia
The new headquarters of the American Physical Therapy Association empowers employee collaboration and promotes mobility, accessibility, and sustainability.
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2020, Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities relocated their home to be more deeply embedded the community they serve and
Access Gallery
Denver, Colorado
In 2020, Gensler Denver partnered with Access Gallery to redesign its 1,500-square-foot studio and gallery, resulting in a more functional, flexible, and accessible space.
Jewish Colorado
Denver, Colorado
In reimagining its organization, JEWISHcolorado’s primary objectives were to revitalize its impact within the community and attract new generations of members and volunteers. The non-profit's space was transformed to celebrate its most valuable asset: its people.
Plywood Place
Atlanta, Georgia
Plywood Place was designed to support startups doing good in a multi-purpose and co-working space inside a 10,000-sq. ft former warehouse that was designed with the Plywood community in mind.
Conservation International
Arlington, Virginia
Attaining LEED Gold certification was only CI's beginning; the project embodies their mission, impacting the design, sustainability elements, and overall building improvements while going beyond LEED requirements.
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
New York, New York
LatinoJustice PRLDEF is a nonprofit organization that uses the power of law together with education and advocacy to promote the civil rights of Latinos in the United States.
Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice
New York, New York
The holistic renovation transforms the Foundation’s workplace and public spaces in a manifestation of its mission to promote the inherent dignity of all people.
FIAO Il Centro Community Center
Brooklyn, New York
Il Centro Community Center is a milestone for both the Federation of Italian-American Organizations (FIAO) and the community they serve.
Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC)
Houston, Texas
Gensler designed the Houston Advanced Research Center to embody its sustainability mission and serve as a prototype for affordable, high-performing buildings.
Impact Hub Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland
Part innovation lab, part coworking space and part civic forum, Impact Hub Baltimore brings together mission-driven innovators, entrepreneurs and...
826 Valencia Tenderloin Center
San Francisco, California
Not-for-profit 826 Valencia’s latest venture is the retail component of this mixed-use learning space that supports the creative writing skills of...
Monogram Dinner by Design
Toronto, Canada
Gensler was one of a select group of designers invited by Design Exchange to create a memorable dining experience/installation to benefit two local...
LMI Government Consulting
McLean, Virginia
For its new headquarters, this not-for-profit management consultant to the federal government sought a forward-looking workplace that would reflect the...
Heifer International
San Francisco, California
From campaign conceptualization to design and associated collateral implementation, Gensler undertook the entire process of creating this holiday pop-up...
Ambrose Monell/G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation
Two closely related foundations—one supporting scientific, cultural, educational and other charitable initiatives; the other striving for a clearer...
Charlotte Chamber of Commerce
Charlotte, North Carolina
Serving as Charlotte’s “front door,” the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce reasoned that if people could more clearly see its inner workings and member...
American Psychological Association
Washington, D.C.
The American Psychological Association hired Gensler initially to transform the existing rooftop area of its building into a multi-purpose room with views...
Project Color Corps
Concord, California
Project Color Corps is a nonprofit that seeks to create positive change by painting inner city schools with colors and patterns that impart messages of...
INSIGHTS
Blog
Agency Is the New Workplace Amenity
By designing enough of the right spaces within the workplace, employers can create environments where employees have agency to choose the best space for their needs.
Blog
10 Opportunities for a More Resilient and Equitable Jersey City
Listening to the local community to improve climate justice, health, safety, and equity.
Blog
Why Now Is the Time for a Workplace Reset
To keep pace with changing workforce expectations, we need to think differently about the workplace.
Blog
What’s Next for the Workplaces of San Francisco?
As the city’s office market navigates recovery, landlords, building owners, and employers must consider the varying needs of future real estate vs. the status quo.
Blog
The Next Big Generation at Work May Not Be Who You Think
Historically, the fastest growing age group in the U.S. workforce has always been the upcoming generation. But not anymore.
Blog
Repopulating the Workplace: Why Collaboration Space Is in Danger
Despite their value, collaboration spaces are often the first to go when companies are looking for ways to repopulate the workplace.
Blog
What Are Corporate Real Estate Executives Planning for 2025?
A look at what office space portfolio modifications and space allocation strategies CRE leaders are anticipating and planning for the year ahead.
Blog
Why Quality in Commercial Office Space Hinges on Workplace Experience
Demand is surging for premium office environments that deliver an effective workplace and a great work experience.
Blog
When It Comes to Workplace Design, Beauty Drives Performance
Beauty plays a crucial role in driving workplace performance, going beyond mere aesthetics to shape overall functionality and impact the employee experience.
Blog
A Field Guide to Authentic Amenities
To create authentic amenities that workers truly want, designers and companies should think outside the box.
Blog
Workplace as a Service: A Thought Experiment in Office Evolution
The concept of Workplace as a Service challenges traditional notions about work environments. Will this new design perspective help the office remain relevant?
Blog
10 Workplace Trends for 2025: What’s In and What’s Out?
The workplace is evolving beyond a collection of experiences and becoming a space designed to foster intentional transformations.
Blog
Designing Workplaces to Strengthen Connection and Combat Loneliness
The workplace plays a key role in fighting against the growing loneliness epidemic.
Blog
How Your Workplace Can Supercharge Performance
What workplaces can learn from the gym and the football pitch about creating environments that inspire workers to stretch, develop, and achieve.
Blog
The Shift to Extremes: Rethinking Office Design
Modern offices are increasingly designed with extremes in mind, featuring specialized spaces for both hyper-focus and hyper-collaboration.
Trends in Foundations, Associations & Organizations
Organizations seek new creative uses for the spaces they already have.
Foundations, associations, and organizations that own property can evaluate new uses for their excess square footage by repositioning or leasing spaces to like-minded groups such as universities.
Converting unused real estate into more valuable spaces offers new membership benefits.
Organizations have an opportunity to rethink how to support their members by investing in spaces and programs such as ongoing education, workforce housing, and day care facilities.
Nonprofits look for office space in the 20-minute, urban-residential mix.
To attract and retain talent, organizations will seek out locations that are in lively urban areas next to transit and neighborhood restaurants, services, public parks, and other amenities.
FOUNDATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS LEADERSHIP
Sean Wayne
Foundations, Associations & Organizations Leader, Studio Director
Sean brings a unique understanding of the creative process that places a strong emphasis on developing conceptual designs that help clients realize their vision while improving an employee's work-life. With a focus on smart design, Sean's approach provides innovative solutions that satisfy both the creative and pragmatic aspects of design.
NEWS
In The Media
![]()
The Architect’s Newspaper
Gensler and Maison Sarah Lavoine Translated Café Joyeux’s Social Mission Into an NYC Eatery
Featuring an inviting and colorful design, Café Joyeux provides job opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
August 20, 2024
In The Media
![]()
Urbanize LA
Friendship Foundation Campus Will Provide Opportunities for All Abilities To Learn, Explore, and Find Their Place
Global Co-Chair Andy Cohen described the campus, now under construction in Redondo Beach, as “a place of learning and growth, and transformation in a safe and inclusive environment.”
May 30, 2024
In The Media
![]()
Office Snapshots
A Look Inside Gensler’s Design of First Love Foundation Offices
The First Love Foundation offices in London is driven by the client’s goal to offer comfort and warmth to those in need through a nurturing workplace ‘home.’
January 09, 2024
In The Media
![]()
WorkLife
Here’s What Matters for Optimizing Office Spaces for Today’s Needs
Janet Pogue McLaurin explains why spaces for individual work, for creative group work, and areas to reflect and restore are key for the office of today.
November 09, 2023
In The Media
![]()
Skedda
Gensler’s Janet Pogue McLaurin Discusses the Dynamics of the Evolving Workplace
Gensler’s Director of Workplace Research shared insights on crafting the future office and the link between physical workspaces and business outcomes. Watch the interview.
October 18, 2023
In The Media
![]()
ThisWeekinFM
ThisWeekinFM Highlights 10 Trends That Will Change the Built Environment From Gensler’s Design Forecast 2023
From the office as destination to mobility to decarbonization and more, here are 10 trends and design strategies that are changing the built environment.
February 16, 2023
In The Media
![]()
Houston Chronicle
Covenant House’s New Gensler-Designed Campus Will Provide Shelter for Homeless Youth
The $47 million campus rebuild will offer both emergency shelter and longer-term housing for homeless youth between the ages of 18 and 24 in the Houston area.
October 14, 2022
In The Media
![]()
NBC Nightly News
The Jackie Robinson Museum Celebrates the Athlete’s Legacy
The new museum is “being hailed as among the first in New York City dedicated largely to the civil rights movement.”
September 01, 2022
In The Media
![]()
The Architect’s Newspaper
Gensler Brings Trauma-Informed Design to the Forefront at Rose Haven Shelter
Inclusivity, dignity, and stress-reduction were key factors in the firm’s design of Portland's Rose Haven day shelter and community center.
August 24, 2022
In The Media
![]()
The Architect’s Newspaper
A Museum Dedicated to Preserving Jackie Robinson’s Legacy Opens in Manhattan
The Architect’s Newspaper covered the inauguration of a “dynamic” permanent space dedicated to the “barrier-shattering baseball legend and civil rights icon.”
July 26, 2022
In The Media
![]()
Morning Consult
How Museums Have Persevered and Design Trends That Are Here To Stay
Gensler’s Bevin Savage-Yamazaki discussed how museums have weathered the pandemic better than most venues as “the architecture lends itself to that feeling of comfort.”
March 14, 2022
In The Media
![]()
KPTV Good Day Oregon
Rose Haven’s New Shelter Includes a Community Painted Mural
Good Day Oregon interviewed Gensler’s Sarah McCracken live on-air about the mural created for Rose Haven’s new day shelter space.
March 08, 2022
In The Media
![]()
Portland Monthly Magazine
A Newly Designed Women’s Shelter Draws on Trauma-Informed Design Principles
Portland Monthly Magazine interviewed Design Director Jay Koback about how trauma-informed design guided Gensler Portland’s work on the Rose Haven day shelter.
March 08, 2022